Byzantine medicine

Alexandros of Tralleis
(approx. 525 - 605):

"Twelve books about medicine"
(Volume I, Chapter 15)

"The proof that epilepsy originates in the stomach lies in the fact that a feeling of restlessness and gnawing begins in the stomach and then the patient feels the affliction approaching. [...]

As soon as the patient gets up in the morning and has emptied his bowels, he should drink an infusion of hyssop, which will do him a lot of good, as many have been healed simply by drinking this, and were only taken ill two or three times.

It is forbidden to drink undiluted wine after taking a bath as nothing can set off a seizure more easily than this - and indeed undiluted wine is in general dangerous for all epileptics."

• Correct statements:
• An aura (see Galen) can take the form of a stomach complaint.
• Alcohol can increase the risk of having an epileptic seizure.

• Incorrect statement:
• Plants or parts of plants (like hyssop) are effective cures for epileptic seizures.
  (Correct: There are no herbal remedies for epilepsy.)